The Last Englishman

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Book Summary

A #1 Best-Seller on Amazon. Shortlisted for Outdoor Book of the Year by The Great Outdoors Magazine. The second book from Keith Foskett.

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches some 2,650 miles from the Mexican border to Canada. It meanders through the scorching deserts of California, the dramatic Sierra Nevada, the volcanic landscape of Oregon and the vast forests of Washington. Every year scores of hikers attempt to walk its entirety. Four in ten give up in the first month alone and only two in ten will reach Canada. Extremes of heat and cold, the toughness and roughness of the trail and encounters with an assortment of potentially deadly creatures stretch walkers to their absolute limits.

It’s a lesson Keith Foskett soon learns the hard way, having to deal with blisters and other physical ailments, as well as his inherent phobia of snakes, spiders, bears, getting dirty and camping in the woods after dark.

With the harsh winter looming, he enters into a desperate race against time, facing a dangerous, physical and very real threat to become the last Englishman to complete the greatest long distance hiking trail on Earth.

Testimonials

'I’m not sure if Keith Foskett knows it but he has penned a hiking classic. I just wanted to pack up my bags and head off into the wilderness.'

– Spencer Vignes (The Observer).

'Telling the true story of a seven-month PCT hike from Mexico to Canada, crossing wild desert and mountain and meeting everything from eccentric hikers to rattlesnakes along the way. Easy to read and at times laugh-out-loud funny, it will make you want to pack your rucksack and go.'

– Rosie Fuller (Adventure Travel magazine).

'Long-distance hiking is tragically romantic: it’s not all about fresh air, aesthetic majesty, and colorful company. This book is refreshingly honest about the difficulties and day-to-day monotony. But it also captures the rewards of this oversized effort to hike the United States end to end.'

Keith Foskett's Books

About the Author

Keith Foskett was born and raised in southeast England, amongst quintessential rolling English countryside. It was here that he nurtured a passion for hiking and the outdoors, and this forms the basis of much of his writing work.
Having discovered, and hiked 1000 miles of the ancient pilgrim’s route known as El Camino de Santiago in Spain, the appetite for hiking was fuelled further. All 2640 miles of America’s Pacific Crest Trail followed, and 2200 miles weaving along the Appalachian Trail. He still hikes and holds a deep respect for the outdoor spaces of this world, always looking for another adventure.
He contributes to various outdoor publications. In 2012 and 2015 he was shortlisted for Outdoor Personality of the Year by The Great Outdoors Magazine. His second book - The Last Englishman, was also nominated for Outdoor Book of the Year. His third offering – Balancing on Blue was also shortlisted for Outdoor Book of the Year.
His outdoor blog (keithfoskett.com) is hugely popular and was voted outdoor blog of the year by the Go Outdoors chain.
Partial to a decent bottle of Rioja, down sleeping bags and woollen underwear, he was born, and still lives in West Sussex, England.